A Tribute to Pamela Cripps by David Mulligan (brother) May 2021
 
Pamela was born in hospital on Christmas Day 1962. At the time I was 15 years old and remember it as a rather strange Christmas. The day was cold, wet and snowy.
 
Our Mum, Marjorie, born in 1922, had prepared the Christmas dinner in advance before disappearing to the nearby hospital. Our Dad, John Mulligan, cooked the dinner fine and we (brother Michael, Dad and I, David) ate it in the kitchen. Either that day or Boxing day, a single scout leader “Texas” visited unannounced in the afternoon. We made polite conversation though I’m sure that Dad had many other things going through his mind. Although Dad invited him to stay for “tea” (the evening meal) and/or drive him home, Texas left on foot in a snow storm around 5.00pm. In retrospect, It was a strange visit because Texas must have known that Mum was expecting any day. However Pam arrived in this world okay.  
 
Because of the 15 year age difference (apparently Pam was a mistake: Mum said Pam was the best mistake she ever made, though you didn’t discuss that kind of thing in the 1960’s) and I left home for University in 1966 and overseas work in 1970, Pam and I were never close in her early years. But Pam and friend Micky visited Canada in 1980 and we enjoyed a good holiday together. I also visited Pam in Melbourne, Australia, for 2 weeks in January 1991 at the beginning of her teacher exchange there.
 
Over the years, there have been other visits in both directions most notably Mum’s funeral in 2013 and Pam’s wedding to Anthony in 2014. We last saw each other in 2016 as a planned visit by me in April 2020 was cancelled due to Covid-19. This same pandemic prevents me from attending Pam’s funeral in May 2021.
 
Pam was my only sister and adult sibling (brother Michael died in 1970 at age 22 of a brain hemorrhage). As adults Pam and I enjoyed a good family relationship. While she embraced the Christian faith, she never “rammed it down your throat”. She and Anthony enjoyed a happy 7 years of marriage. I’m sure they each expected many more years together, but Cancer is completely unpredictable. I remain somewhat haunted by a recent home movie she took of their new home in Henfield and how she was looking forward to moving there with Anthony. Cancer got in the way. I could not have asked for a better sister or person.  
 
David Mulligan,
Calgary, Canada
May 2021.